Friday, 31 August 2018

Awesome Abums: Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out

When the opening
track of Sleater – Kinney's dig me out blasts out I'm instantly
hooked in by the teasing guitar riff overlaying the bouncing drum
beat. It then proceeds to refuse to let me go for 36 minutes of the
album's duration. Some songs are stronger than others but the
combination of tantalising guitar work, bouncy drumbeats and rough
vocals manages to hold me throughout.

There's a variety of
songs on offer. The album begins with a series of catchy tracks of
which my personal favourite is the opener “Dig Me Out”. This run
ends with the powerful “Heart Factory” where the band slows the
pace down a little. “Buy Her Candy” provides a softer moment in
the album while “Jenny” gives a climatic finish.

Quick Summary:

“One More Hour”,
I don't know why but I feel this is the perfect song to wake up to.
Maybe due too the bleary guitar overlaying the verse which contrasts
brilliantly with the catchy chorus.

“Turn it On”,
once again the guitar draws me in and gets me nodding my head. When
the drums kick in the chorus I have to start moving to the music. The
bridge then finishes the build up of activity by getting me singing
along to the vocals. A fun and catchy song.

“The Drama You've
Been Craving” keeps this dancing up through the relentless drumming
and the forceful, snappy vocals as they take turns singing. Meanwhile
the intricate guitar keeps the song interesting as it dances around
the determined pace. Personally I find this one a great song to run
to, it really builds up the energy levels well.

“Heart Factory”
slows down the pace with a quiet verse and powerful chorus. For me
the dark guitar on the verse is the highlight of this song, giving me
something enjoyable to just sit and listen to as it plays out.

“Words and Guitar”
is full of catchy chorus' which demand the listener to jump around
mixing with beautiful, eclectic verses which would be perfect to
listen to lying in the grass of a sunny park. This deep contrast in
the song works well and is followed by another high energy piece
“It's Enough”. At less than 2 minutes long the energy doesn't
stop or slow down but keeps rising throughout. A perfect song go nuts
to and yell out the simple, repeated chorus at a show.

“Little Babies”
slows down the pace once again. I wouldn't say this is one of the
strongest songs on the record for me but the vocals on the chorus are
catchy and the drums keep an excellent beat, so it is still enjoyable
to listen to. “Not What You Want” hits the accelerator harder,
the vocals on the verses in particular display the chaotic energy of
the song as if on the verge of losing control . “Buy Her Candy”
takes the foot of the accelerator again and brings forth a
wonderfully sweet song by relying on the guitar and vocals for the
brunt of the music. This adds to the rawness of the emotion of the
love song and creates a nice quieter moment in the album for the
listener to catch their breath.

“Things You Say”
demonstrate more of what this album does incredibly well as the
intricate guitar guides me through a quietly, powerful emotive song,
flowing beautifully with the vocals and drums. “Dance Song 97”
uses dynamics well to keep building itself up behind some excellent
guitar riff-age before finishing quietly. This manages to add to the
impact of the song and solidifies it as a gentler note on the album.
“Jenny” wraps up the album and clocking in at over four minutes
is the longest song available. The chorus is cathartic and mixing
this with the slow tempo makes it a suitable and powerful finisher.
It releases the listener while also giving them something to think
about on their way out.

The album definitely
worth checking out if you wanna hear catchy punk songs that also
knows how to mix giving the listener an intricate and raw experience
effectively, so if your intrigued give em a listen!